March 2012 | Rebecca Rego Barry

Eureka Books

Catalogue Review: Eureka Books, #28

Eureka Books.pngThis is the first catalogue I've seen from Eureka Books, though not its first, and certainly not the first from bookseller P. Scott Brown, known to many of you as the former editor of FB&C and currently the co-proprietor of "one of the last classic antiquarian bookstores on the West Coast" (in Eureka, CA).

Having acquired a large private collection (fifty file boxes) of Isaac Asimov, Eureka Books has been listing his science fiction firsts (and more) since late January. There are numerous signed and inscribed books, as well as association copies.

In this beautifully illustrated color catalogue of highlights, it's interesting (and instructive) to see several editions of one title, showing a range of rarity, condition, and value. Take, for example, Asimov's The Robots of Dawn. Here listed is a first limited edition from Phantasia Press, lettered issue, one of 35 copies signed by Asimov and bound in full leather ($1,850). Or, you could choose that first limited edition, one of 650 signed and numbered copies, in a fine dust jacket ($250). Or, perhaps the 1983 Doubleday first edition, inscribed by the author and in a fine dust jacket ($300). Lastly, that same edition with a jacket showing slightly more wear and a different inscription ($175). We could do this same exercise with Robots and Empire, Pebble in the Sky, I, Robot, and Nightfall.

Other fun finds in this catalogue: Isaac Asimov's How Is Paper Made? co-authored by Elizabeth Kaplan and published in 1993 ($25). Asimov's Realm of Algebra, published in 1964, in which "the good doctor explains algebra to smart kids" ($125). And Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare, a first edition in two volumes in NF dust jackets and slipcase ($200).

Enjoy a PDF or fully illustrated web version by clicking here:
http://www.eurekabooksellers.com/asimov/